


Starsick

by bethany81707



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, Daydreaming, F/M, Flash Fic, Jealousy, Resentment, Star-crossed, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 03:25:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16589933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethany81707/pseuds/bethany81707
Summary: Geoffrey might be a paragon knight, but even he has his... inner demons. All he wants is Astrid's hand, and he'd almost be willing to leave it be, a victim of poor circumstance. The fact Makalov is the one she has feelings for, though... that hurts a little more.





	Starsick

“I think Sir Makalov deserves a little more respect than that.”

Astrid didn’t know it, but the pang Geoffrey felt upon hearing that was much more painful than merely how poor his opinion of Makalov was. The girl was so kind that if she did know, she’d probably be more careful about expressing her interest in the flop. Unfortunately for the sanity of everyone else, Geoffrey didn’t have the heart to tell her… it wouldn’t be fair to her.

Geoffrey loved Astrid.

It was to be expected, of course. Astrid was astoundingly beautiful, excessively kind, eager to fight on a battlefield and had the sort of past that made men’s hearts flutter- forced into a marriage she didn’t want that she escaped, always melancholically considering the fact none of her sisters were so lucky. Geoffrey heard her crying herself to sleep as he did his rounds. It took all his self restraint to not enter the room and hug her tightly- though he dreamed about what if every time. What if he had the courage… no, it wasn’t courage to approach her like that. He was her superior.

He was her superior. There was no ‘right’ way to win her heart.

As always when his mind drifted down here, he cursed his younger self for his tunnel vision. He had been focused on the wellbeing of Princess Elincia, to her eternal annoyance. She had  _ asked _ him to find more of a purpose than just being her liege. No, he said. He was devoted to her and her alone. He had delusions of perhaps marrying  _ her _ . How could have he been so blind? She called him brother, she longed for Ike… and yet  _ there Astrid was _ , no romantic partner picked out amongst the men who tripped over themselves trying… all he would have had to do was asked for a date. If Astrid had thought of him as a potential lover, this power dynamic would never have sprung up. Now Astrid was one of  _ his _ knights. He couldn’t promote her, for fear of resentment and accusations-  _ true _ accusations, to boot- of favouritism on his part and debauchery on hers, and he couldn’t offer relations as it was, for she would merely follow his lead for the sake of her job.

Foolish, short-sighted… better to have loved and lost than to have never expressed love at all.

Geoffrey realised, with a start, that his mind was drifting to the worst part of his resentment... Makalov. Geoffrey didn’t find him as deplorable as Marcia did, but he had never accomplished anything as far as he knew, saw or heard. He even actively admitted that he wasn’t good enough for her. It was probably the truest thing he had ever said. Astrid, pure, beautiful, strong…  _ he _ wasn’t good enough for her. The paragon knight, coveted by ladies among the court… he didn’t  _ deserve _ her. She deserved someone who appreciated her, someone who thought the world of  _ her _ , and her alone. But no, fate saw fit to have her eyes light up on a layabout, who’d appreciate  _ any  _ woman so long as she was pretty and she tried to clean up after him, feed him, and just generally try to continue his existence. Making sure Astrid got a good life was the only thing that gave Geoffrey motivation to try to whip Makalov into shape.

He had to take a breather. Think happy thoughts. Of course, annoyingly, Astrid  _ was _ his happy space. He needed to find a better one. Normally, when the fact of the matter wasn’t Astrid herself, it was rather nice to think of her. Long, silky raven hair framed that beautiful face… Geoffrey was suspiciously lax on how long Astrid took on her appearance, something he was informed was a result of her childhood. Astrid wore her Crimean armour with pride, the silvers and pinks matching one another and herself quite tastefully, from the perspective of he who had no real concept or experience choosing colours. Geoffrey didn’t imagine taking Astrid  _ out _ of that armour- aside from degrading the beauty of her story, he didn’t want to imagine her reaction to knowing her commander had those kinds of fantasies. He imagined her in his arms, resting after a long day of drills, content with the knowledge she could stand in the presence of her parents with a suitable suitor chosen.

Though, come to think of it… what could Geoffrey do about Astrid’s sisters? It wasn’t particularly challenging to figure out that was where her ill thoughts rested, and thus going after them and freeing them from whomever they had been married to seemed the surest way to Astrid’s heart. But whom were they? Geoffrey didn’t know they were all Begnions, but he could guess as much from their contempt for other countries. Marriage stock from a line that produced a woman like Astrid would  _ never _ have made it to a foreign lord. But Geoffrey could hardly find the time in his duties to go after them. And even if he was foolish enough to make time, any rescue attempt he was implicated in would get Crimea in hot water, and antagonising a country so large was about as safe as poking a sleeping wyvern in the eye.

...But… but no… he wouldn’t…

Geoffrey had a guess as to why Astrid had chosen to place her faith in Makalov. Makalov, the former Begnion Knight who had history of debt with other Begnions. Makalov, the lazy layabout who had no intention of putting in any semblance of effort to keep his job. Makalov… Geoffrey wouldn’t put it past him to make promises he had no idea as to the scale or effort needed to fulfill them if it meant impressing a woman like Astrid.

Did Makalov promise Astrid that he’d rescue her sisters?

“Oh my…” he muttered.

“All right, settle down, everybody. Keep this up and the general’s gonna pretend he doesn’t know either of you,” Largo said. If  _ only _ it were so easy...

**Author's Note:**

> I have a newfound respect for people that write a few hundred more pages of this stuff. Up until the very end, where the idea of bringing the sisters into it for the ending came to me, I had my doubts I could even hit 1000 words.


End file.
